


The 2076 Summer Olympics

by Stellarath



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Olympics, Omnics are still a thing but the crisis never happened, Overwatch doesn't exist, Slow Burn, futuristic sports
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-07-29 10:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7681039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stellarath/pseuds/Stellarath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Angela Ziegler, world renown doctor and now a badminton professional, decides to compete in the Olympics for the first time. In her quest to earn gold, she ends up reconnecting with basketball star Fareeha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Olympic Village

London was cold and wet, Angela noted, staring out the window of her room in Olympic Village as she readied herself (opting to wear simple black yoga pants and a red tank top) for breakfast. She always thought people were exaggerating when they said it rained often in London, but one quick look at her phone’s weather forecast showed that it would rain all week. Not that she minded--she liked the cold. She only hoped it wouldn’t rain for the majority of this year’s summer Olympics. It was her first time competing and she wanted to be able to enjoy London without all the rain. 

Angela made her way down to the dining hall, fully expecting to be one of the first people there but was proven wrong at the sight of dozens of bustling world class athletes. She was unused to such liveliness of early mornings. Quiet mornings were her routine. Here, people cared as much about their health as she did. 

Her eyes scanned the room, attempting to gauge the competition. Immediately, she recognized several former gold medalists: Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes from the USA, Reinhardt Wilhelm from Germany, and Torbjörn Lindholm from Sweden. This year’s Olympics was not going to be easy with so many reputed veterans competing. The only one missing was -

“Cheers, love!” a perky British girl exclaimed, breaking her train of thought. “Feeling homesick already?” 

Taken aback by the girl’s sudden materialization by her side, Angela had no time to respond before the Brit continued with, “Where are you from? No wait, let me guess!” The girl’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Angela’s face closely. Angela’s shoulders tensed. “Germany?”

“Switzerland, actually.” Angela corrected, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

“Ah, dang!” She snapped her fingers. “That was my second guess. The name’s Lena by the way. Lena Oxton! Team Britain, as you can tell by the accent. Nice to meet’cha, Team Switzerland!” She said, extending a hand.

“Angela Ziegler,” she introduced hesitantly, shaking Lena’s hand. There was no recognition in the other woman’s face (or at least she didn’t show it). For that, Angela was relieved. Prior to becoming a professional badminton player, she was a world-renowned doctor for her nanobiological breakthroughs. Her work was extremely controversial at the time and although that was nearly two decades ago, her reputation preceded her. She worked hard to stay out of the public’s eye. It was a lot of pressure for a 17 year-old.

Angela sized the other woman up. Her physique was that of a runner. “I take it you’re track and field?”

Lena grinned. “You got it! The first thing people notice about me are my legs. What about you? What’re you here for?”

“Badminton,” answered Angela. “This is my first Olympics.”

“Are you nervous?”

Angela’s lips curled into a small smile. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t. But I’m mostly excited to compete with other countries and represent mine.”

“It’s exciting, yeah.” Lena agreed, nodding. “I think my favorite part of all this are the friends I end up making,” she added, a faraway look in her eyes. That was the beauty of the Olympics: it brought a common ground for people and omnics to unite. It was a way for humanity to make peace, something the world desperately needed, and Angela always loved that about it. 

“Shoot, I gotta go do some hurdling before it gets too crowded,” said Lena in realization, zipping halfway out the dining hall. “Try the scrambled eggs,” she called out. “British specialty! I promise you’ll love ‘em! Catch you around!”

Taking her recommendation, Angela piled a healthy amount of scrambled eggs on her plate as well as bacon and an English muffin. She sat at an empty table, eating in silence (the scrambled eggs were delicious) and people-watching as the dining hall slowly filled up with athletes. 

That’s when Angela spotted her: Ana Amari, air rifle gold medalist from Egypt and an old friend. At the age of 21, Angela was specifically chosen by Ana to be her primary physician due to the nature of her work. The older woman greatly admired what she’d done for the medical field. She even helped develop Ana’s cybernetic eye. After the accident which destroyed it, Ana had no reason to see Angela any longer despite the doctor’s offer to restore it. That was seven years ago. 

Ana must have noticed her too, as she was walking in Angela’s direction with a cup of tea in hand.

“Ana, you’re here after all.” Angela greeted. 

Ana sat down beside her. “You were looking for me?”

“The reunion wouldn’t be complete without you,” Angela gestured to the veterans. Ana chuckled. “Did you all have to choose the year I would be competing to recompete? It’s not even fair.”

“Learn from the pain,” said Ana, smirking. “Besides, I did not know you would quit your job and become a professional athlete, doctor.”

“A temporary resignation,” Angela specified. “I’m still a doctor at heart.”

Ana hummed, removing the teabag from the cup. “Do you remember my daughter?”

“Oh, yes! I remember Fareeha. She is here?” Angela asked, recalling the many times Ana would bring in a teenaged Fareeha during her biannual checkups. Fareeha would often ask Angela if she could get a cybernetic eye too, to which Angela always humored her with “maybe when you’re older if your mom is okay with it.” She should be 32 now, if she remembered correctly.

“Fareeha!” Ana yelled, causing a few heads to turn in their direction. 

Fareeha rushed to Ana’s side, embarrassment clear on her face at her mother’s lack of subtlety. Fareeha had grown so much since Angela last saw her. She was taller, broader, and incredibly toned. The resemblance to Ana was undeniable, especially now that Fareeha had a matching Eye of Horus tattoo. Gone was the shy girl Angela remembered and in was a confident woman that donned her country’s colors proudly on her basketball uniform. Fareeha Amari grew into a beautiful woman.

“Ami! You did not have to yell my name out to call me here.”

Ana ignored her complaints, taking a long sip of her tea. “What are you looking at me for? Don’t be rude, say hello to Angela.”

Fareeha’s eyes widened when she finally noticed Angela, giving the doctor her full attention. _No cybernetic eye_ , Angela thought. Becoming conscious of the fact she was staring, Angela averted her eyes, flushing lightly under the younger Amari’s gaze. She hoped she wasn’t too obvious. “It’s good to see you again, Fareeha.”

“You too, doctor.” Fareeha replied with a sheepish smile.

“Please, call me Angela. I’m not a doctor anymore,” she insisted.

“You’re not? I thought that was why you were here…” 

“Angela is our competition, dearest.” Ana clarified. “She’s here for badminton.”

“How did you…” Angela trailed off. 

Ana scoffed, “Please. I know you well enough as if you were my second daughter. Even if you don’t earn a gold, I’ll still be proud of you.” 

“Thank you for the reassurance but I fully intend to win gold,” said Angela confidently. “I did not come here to lose.”

“Neither did we,” Ana glanced up at Fareeha. “Isn’t that right, Fareeha?”

Fareeha placed a hand on Ana’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “We are in this together.” Angela admired the strong bond they shared and a sudden feeling of loneliness overcame her. Would she have had such a connection to her parents were they still here? It must have shown on her face because she felt Ana’s eye on her.

“Why don’t you and Fareeha do some catching up?” It wasn’t a suggestion. “I’ll be with the seniors,” Ana chuckled, walking over to Jack and Reyes.

“I was planning to go to the gym,” Fareeha started. “Do you want to come with me?” 

“Yes,” Angela answered, discarding her plate and joining Fareeha’s side. She was looking forward to reconnecting with her.

* * *

The gym was gigantic, as expected. Fareeha led them to an empty basketball courtroom. Every sport had its own floor and several rooms to practice in. They were separated into traditional and contemporary. With the advancement of technology, sports had evolved as well to accommodate omnics. Contemporary sports always involved technology of some sort, whether it be wall riding skates, jet packs, or wings to name a few. Teams had to compete in both categories (barring omnics, who were only allowed to compete in contemporary to make it fair).

“I hope you don’t mind if I do some practice,” said Fareeha, fetching a basketball and twirling it in her hands.

“Only if you don’t mind being my practice partner later,” came out as her response. She had no idea why she said that when she had plenty of teammates who would be more than willing to practice with her. It must be the fact she found it so easy to relax around Fareeha. There was no need for her to worry about what the other woman thought of her.

“I’m terrible at badminton. It would not be much of a challenge.” 

Angela wanted to argue, convince Fareeha that her skill level didn’t matter, but remained quiet and accepted that the other woman didn’t want to play against her. If Fareeha had no desire to rekindle their friendship, then she would respect that.

“On the other hand…” continued Fareeha, “I wouldn’t mind learning a new sport.” She flashed her a charming smile that Angela was sure have melted the hearts of fans before. “But please, don’t go easy on me. Play as if you will be going against a professional.”

“Deal.”

Fareeha smirked, running up to the basket and dunking the ball in. Angela watched Fareeha practice a variety of shots, never once missing, in the span of an hour. Occasionally the ball would roll to Angela. At first she’d pass it to Fareeha, but as time passed she became a bit more daring, trying to make a few shots herself. Unfortunately, she’d either overthrow or underthrow, allowing Fareeha to steal the ball back and score perfectly.

“And the winner is Fareeha Amari with a score of 30 - 0. A gold medal for Egypt!” Fareeha announced, plopping right next to Angela on the bleachers, their shoulders bumping.

“Ah, I was not even trying!” Angela protested.

“It looked like you were trying really hard to me,” she said after taking a big gulp of water from her bottle.

“A mere stretching exercise for the true game ahead.”

“Then let’s not delay it any longer.”

* * *

Fareeha wasn’t lying. She was absolutely horrendous at the sport. To Fareeha, the birdie might as well have been the golden snitch with the amount of times it zipped past her. Still, it was endearing how Fareeha continued trying her hardest until Angela had her fun demolishing her. They sat at a table, watching teams practice.

“I think you would need a cybernetic eye to play badminton.” Angela hoped that didn’t come across as an insult. Fareeha seemed to find it amusing.

“You remember that?”

Angela smiled. “Of course. I could never forget. You were very persistent.”

“I was naive,” laughed Fareeha. “After finding out the exact procedures, it became a lot less appealing. I decided maybe I should pursue a different career than my mother’s.”

“You always were keen in following in her footsteps. Where did your interest in basketball come from?”

“It’s not a very interesting story,” she dismissed. 

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Fareeha considered her response. “Ana brought me along to the gym one day and I snuck off. I wandered into a rocketball room, put on a jet, and dunked every ball I saw. I had so much fun flying around but ami was furious. She was ready to scold me until a few coaches approached her with interest in me in joining their teams. I was apparently very talented.”

“You have a strange definition of interesting. I would love to see you play in a jetpack,” voiced Angela. Contemporary sports were always more interesting to her. There were additional variables to consider which made it more challenging. Plus, games were generally faster paced and/or explosive. 

“And I’d love to see you play in wings.”

“I suppose you’ll have to watch my games then,” she said offhandedly, not expecting Fareeha to attend at all.

“I wouldn’t dare miss them.” Fareeha said with a genuinity that caught Angela off guard.

She wouldn’t miss Fareeha’s either.


	2. Stress of the Competition

It was the first day of the Olympics. Though yesterday’s opening ceremonies went smoothly, it left Angela a tad bit disappointed that she wasn’t able to see Ana proudly hold her country's flag with Fareeha marching behind her. There were always videos she could watch of the ceremony but it wasn’t the same as seeing them live.

Angela hadn’t seen Fareeha since their reunion. Both women were incredibly busy practicing with their teams...which, if Angela was being honest, what she _should_ be doing right now (her first game was in two days!). Instead, she made it a priority to watch the women’s track and field event to support Lena. The two had developed an easy friendship. Lena would always keep her company during her morning runs, usually bringing along her two friends whom Angela’s come to known as Lucio and Hana. Lucio was a soccer player from Brazil while Hana was a bicyclist from South Korea. Both were well-known in their countries as a DJ and professional video game player, respectively.

The two were supposed to meet Angela at the front row seats of the stadium. That was half an hour ago.

“Sorry we’re late!” Lucio apologized, slipping into the seat next to Angela. “Hana wanted some snacks.”

“Ugh! You’d think they’d give us some VIP passes to the front of the line considering we’re competitors but nope!” Hana whined, piling her snacks on Lucio’s lap as she took a seat next to him. “Want some?” She asked, offering Angela a bag of doritos.

“No thank you Hana, I have a strict diet to follow,” she declined. Perhaps if she were 20 years younger she would have accepted the offer.

Hana shrugged. “More for me.” 

“Anyone see Tracer?” Lucio asked, leaning up in his seat--careful not to knock over the snacks--to get a better view of the field.

“Tracer?” 

“Oh, that’s what everyone calls Lena!” Hana clarified. “It’s ‘cause she’s so fast you’ll never be able to trace her!”

“There she is!” Lucio exclaimed, pointing to a jumping Lena waving at them. 

“You better get gold Tracer! I bet a lot of money on you!” yelled Hana.

“I don’t think she can hear you,” he said.

“What? Of course she can.” Tracer gave them a thumbs up. “See?”

“That could mean anything,” disbelief evident in his voice.

The two bantered until the countdown started. Angela kept her eyes planted on Lena, curious to see how fast she was. She nearly lost sight of her at the ‘bang.’ Lena was already twice the distance of second place. Angela could only imagine how fast Lena could go when using blink technology. 

Cheers broke out as Lena finished in first for the 100m preliminaries dash. If it weren’t for the British flag acting as her cape, Angela wouldn’t have seen her until the end. She was the first qualifier for the women’s round one proper.

“Will this be _another_ year Tracer keeps her title as fastest woman alive!?” echoed the announcer’s voice.

If Angela thought she was prepared before, she definitely didn’t think so now. Just how many defending gold medalists were competing this year? _Mein Gott._ Were these two defenders too? Was Fareeha? Switzerland’s chances of winning the Olympics did not look promising.

* * *

The next two days went by quickly. _Too quickly._ To no one’s surprise, Lena had won gold for the 3rd time in a row in the 100m dash. Hana was ecstatic, cashing in on her bet and splitting the winnings with said victor. Now she was racing in the 100m hurdles (which she was also expected to win). Due to their conflicting schedules, Angela couldn't attend but she promised Lena she would do her best to come to the 400m blink race. 

Angela paced back and forth in anticipation as she watched a teammate fall in defeat. Oh no. Already half the badminton athletes (in all categories) from Switzerland were eliminated. 

Now, it was her turn. Once she was sure her red and white wings were safely secured on her uniform, she walked into the court. Adjusting her orange visor, she scanned the crowd until her eyes locked onto familiar brown ones. Angela’s breath caught in her throat. Fareeha came like she promised and she was giving her the most encouraging and warmest smile she’s ever seen. Her hands started clamming up. 

_Verdammt!_ Why did her nerves have to start acting up now? She shouldn’t be nervous! She was a doctor for God’s sakes! She’s brought patients who were supposed to be dead back to life! Aerial Badminton was a piece of cake compared to that! Angela took several deep breaths, successfully calming them.

“And from Switzerland, we have _the_ Doctor Angela Ziegler!” That garnered some mixed reactions in the crowd.

Angela took her place at the right, diagonal of her opponent, trying to ignore the increased attention she was getting. From her peripheral vision, she could see Fareeha staring intently at her with creased brows. Worry? Curiosity? She didn’t have long to ponder what it meant when the ground beneath them retracted, the court transforming into a bubbled wind field blowing cool air around them. Her wings expanded, letting her hover in place. 

She allowed herself a brief glimpse of Fareeha, which unfortunately resulted in her missing the ‘bang’ and the birdie being served to her.

Angela internally groaned. _How embarrassing! In front of Fareeha, too!_

The second serve she was prepared. Angela hit the birdie back with ease to the other side of the court. They had an even back and forth going until the birdie hit a wind tunnel, causing it to accelerate over her. Angela maneuvered herself to the wind tunnel, gaining enough momentum to glide to the birdie. Her opponent failed to react in time when she hit it to an opposing wind tunnel, scoring her a point.

Angela continued flowing with the wind effortlessly throughout the match, never breaking a sweat.

“Wow! This doctor isn’t showing any mercy!” said one caster. “It’s going to be a quick match.”

“Don’t expect any mercy from this angel, folks,” another said.

“Angela ‘Mercy’ Ziegler. How do you like the sound of that?” the first caster asked the crowd. 

With the crowd cheering “Mercy,” Angela scored her final point, beating her opponent with a near perfect 21 - 1. The bubble dissipated and the ground returned. Angela landed on her feet gracefully, wings resuming their dormant position. Luckily for her, that was her only game for the day. She glanced at the crowd, searching for Fareeha. Disappointment settled in when she couldn’t find her, and she made her way back to the stadium halls. Had she not had her head downcast, she would have noticed who she bumped into.

“I apologize,” she rushed out. “I should have looked at where I was going…”

“Then I wouldn’t have bumped into you.”

Angela’s head snapped up and she opened her mouth to say _“I couldn’t find you. I thought you left”_ but promptly closed it at how childish that sounded. Fareeha had no obligation to stay through the match.

“I came to congratulate you. You did amazing,” praised Fareeha. “Watching you play, it was like watching an ang - ”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” interrupted Angela with an amused smile. “That was only the preliminaries. I still have plenty of competition to go.”

“I have no doubt you’ll make it to the finals. The others in this session did not seem nearly as fluid as you in the air.”

“You are going to jinx me, Fareeha!” 

The taller woman placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly and staring her in the eyes. “I have full confidence in you, Angela.” 

“D-danke,” she stammered out after a moment. God, what was wrong with her? She was acting so unlike herself today. _It must be the stress of the competition,_ she reasoned.

* * *

And stress of the competition it was as the next few days passed in a blur. She was due to compete in the semifinals soon and if her past two games taught her anything, it was that Fareeha was a large distraction for her. Though she passed the round of 16 and quarterfinals without too much difficulty, if she couldn’t focus on anything other than Fareeha’s smiles and cheers during the game, she was sure to be eliminated. 

It definitely had nothing to do with the fact more and more people were recognizing her as she advanced through the rounds; or that the rumor mill was starting again; or the pressure of her reputation was starting to get to her and she didn’t want Fareeha to get sucked into this mess, no - It was because she couldn’t afford any distractions at this stage if she wanted to win gold (at least, that’s what she told herself). Thus, Angela had to make the hard decision of distancing herself without explanation until the end of her events. Only then would she allow herself to see Fareeha.

Unfortunately for her, fate decided that crossing paths with Fareeha was a great idea.

“Angela! I haven’t seen you in a while. Are - “ Fareeha looked unsure of herself for a moment. “...Are you okay?”

“I’m...fine,” Angela bit the inside of her cheek, avoiding looking at Fareeha in the eyes. She couldn’t bear to see the hurt they bore. “I’m sorry, Fareeha. I have to go.”

She could hear Fareeha calling out her name as she rushed inside a building. She felt guilty. Fareeha didn’t deserve to be shut out like this.

“Dr. Ziegler?” A familiar accented voice spoke. It couldn’t be -

It was. He was the first person she ever brought back to life with her technology, a man that was practically dead. “Genji?” 

“So it is you,” he confirmed. “I heard you were competing, doctor. Or would you prefer to be called ‘Mercy’?” 

“Neither,” she replied. “I am not a doctor anymore and Mercy is just a stage name.” 

“I see.”

“You seem well. From the last time we met. That’s good,” she commented, referencing his unmasked face, no longer just scarred tissue. She remembered his therapies, when he would struggle to accept his new mechanical form. He was angrier then: at the world, at his brother, at her for saving his life. One day, he disappeared, and Angela was plagued with whether or not she made the right decision; if the public was right in their opinion of her.

He smiled. “I met someone. An omnic monk named Zenyatta. He helped me come to terms with myself.”

“Oh, yes. I know of him. His teachings bring much to inspire.”

“Would you like to meet him? He’s here with me.”

Angela considered it. Perhaps it would do her some good to receive wisdom from the omnic. “Yes, I would love to.”

* * *

“Sensei,” Genji bowed. “I have someone who would like to meet you.”

Zenyatta turned to face them, breaking his meditation. “Hello.”

“It is an honor,” said Angela.

“You, as well, Dr. Ziegler. You have done a lot of good in this world.”

Angela wanted to dispute that--that her research had created nanobiological weapons (and how good could that be, really?) against her wishes--but held her tongue. “I prefer to be called Angela these days.”

“Very well, Angela,” he said. “I sense you are troubled. Genji, will you give us a moment?”

He bowed once more and left the two alone.

“It is not your fault,” he began. “What others do with your work is not your responsibility, nor should you bear the burden of it.”

Angela didn’t know whether to feel disturbed or relieved that he knew without her saying, so she said, “Do you want to know my favorite rumor?”

Zenyatta gestured for her to continue. 

“That I force my patients to sell their souls in order to resurrect them from the brink of death - like - like I’m some sort of devil!” She scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all. “For years, I wondered if the world would be better without my discoveries. Every life I’ve saved has never been the same. And they hate me for what I’ve turned them into.”

Zenyatta nodded, knowing the dilemma very well. “They think that just because they no longer have a human body, they cannot be human anymore. But as I told Genji, that is not true. Transcendence from death comes with a price and true self is without form. You are a healer of the body, not the mind. And I think it is time for you to allow yourself to free your mind of your guilt.” He paused, and if he could smile, she was sure he’d be smiling right now. “Angela, why are you really here at the Olympics?”

Angela narrowed her eyes. Where was he going with this? “Because I quit my job,” she answered dryly.

Zenyatta let out the robotic equivalent of a chuckle. “Yes, but why?”

“I wanted to try something different,” she shrugged. 

Zenyatta hummed at her knowingly. They both knew the Olympics was just an excuse for her to run. Angela thought that if she could make a new name for herself, people would forget. Clearly that was not the case but she hoped it would be. “How is it working out? You’ve made it into the semi-finals so it must be going well.”

Angela sighed. “And it will be as far as I go if I do not rid of my distractions.”

“Are they _truly_ distractions?”

Her immediate thought was “yes, why else can I not concentrate on anything other than Fareeha in my games?” when everything came crashing down on her. The clammy hands, increased heart rate, flushed skin around Fareeha...the way Fareeha made her _feel._ How around Fareeha, her mood was instantly elevated; how around Fareeha, she could forget about how people felt towards her; how around Fareeha, she could be reminded of who she really was: Angela. Not Dr. Ziegler, the miracle worker.

Yes, Fareeha was a distraction, but not for her games; Fareeha was her distraction from the scrutiny of the world. Angela needed to find her and apologize immediately.

“Good luck, Angela!” She heard Zenyatta say in the distance.

* * *

By the time Angela found her, the sun had already started to set. Fareeha was sitting at a bench overlooking the ocean, her dark locks flowing with the sea’s breeze. Angela almost didn’t want to approach, afraid of disrupting the woman’s peace. Luckily, Fareeha spotted her and beckoned her over, patting the spot on the bench next to her. Angela complied, careful to leave enough space between them. The setting was dangerously romantic and Angela feared that if she wasn’t vigilant, her feelings towards Fareeha would be known.

“I’m sorry,” began Angela hesitantly.

“For what?”

“For avoiding you. It wasn’t fair to you.”

“I thought I had done something to upset you,” Fareeha murmured, her low voice causing Angela to involuntarily shiver (she attributed it to the cool breeze). 

“No,” she said quickly. “It was my own foolishness.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked gently.

Angela shook her head, staring out into the horizon. “Maybe later.”

Fareeha nodded, and Angela was grateful for the patience Fareeha granted her. She didn’t know when it happened, but she had shifted closer to Fareeha, so close that her head may as well have been resting on the taller woman’s shoulder. _This is dangerous,_ a voice in the back of her head whispered, but Angela couldn’t find it in herself to care. Not when Fareeha felt so nice and inviting. She inhaled deeply, catching Fareeha’s cinnamon-y scent.

“Come to dinner with me?”

Angela felt her face heat up. It was an innocent question and surely Fareeha didn’t mean it in that way. Besides, she wasn’t sure if Fareeha even liked women!

Fareeha must have realized how that sounded as well, a blush making itself apparent on her cheeks. Fareeha opened her mouth to say something when Angela’s stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten properly at all today. “Ah, the consequence of forgetting to eat.”

“Here,” Fareeha said, pulling out a protein bar from her leather coat pocket and placing it in Angela’s hands. “To tide you over until we get to the cafeteria.”

“Do you always carry these around?” she laughed, taking a bite of the bar as they walked.

“In case of emergencies. You never know when someone will go the day without eating,” Fareeha teased. 

“It is a bad habit of mine, I’m afraid.” Angela confessed. She’d often forget to take care of herself when she was so busy taking care of others. Transitioning from doctor to athlete helped rectify her diet, but not as much as it should have.

There was a brief pause in Fareeha’s step before her pace seemed to quicken. 

“Fareeha?” she called out, attempting to match Fareeha’s long strides.

“We must hurry before the lines get long!” 

By the time they arrived at the nearest Olympic Village dining hall, they were exhausted. They had managed to get their food right as dozens of athletes started pouring in. As they settled in their seats, a man in stereotypical American western attire (even more so as he was wearing the American flag as a cape and red, white, and blue clothing) sat at the chair across from them.

“Hello, ladies,” he greeted. “Couldn’t help but notice you and your beautiful friend.” He winked at Angela. She pretended not to notice.

“Jesse,” Fareeha warned, scowling at him.

“You know him?” She directed at Fareeha.

“The name’s Jesse McCree - ”

“Yes, and he is as annoying as he looks,” she answered, both women ignoring him.

“Hey! I resent that.” 

“He is a friend of my mother’s,” she elaborated. Now that Angela thought about it, she vaguely remembered Ana complaining sometimes about a ‘Jesse’ during her checkups...To think she would actually meet him!

“Aww, ‘Ree, you don’t consider us friends?” He pouted. 

“You are more like my troublesome brother,” she rolled her eyes. “Jesse, this is Angela.”

“Howdy,” he tipped his hat towards her.

“Hello,” said Angela. “How did you and Ana meet?” She was interested to know more about his relationship with the Amaris.

“Well, you see,” he began, as if he were recalling a far off memory. “She and my mentor were buddies in their youth. He told me if I wanted to be a gold medalist shooter, I needed to learn how to aim, so he introduced me to her. It was terrifying, I tell ya. She still is,” he shuddered. A fond smile grew on his lips. “But over time, she became more like my ma than a teacher.” 

“Who was your mentor?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask…” He sighed dramatically. “It’s Reyes. Yep, you heard right. The Gabriel Reyes.”

Angela stared at him blankly. Was she supposed to react a certain way…? Apparently so as Jesse said, “Wait, do you not know?” 

“This is her first Olympics, Jesse,” answered Fareeha for her. Admittedly, though Angela knew of famous gold medalists, she wasn’t bothered to read up on any potential scandals surrounding them. “Gabriel was banned from the Olympics for attempted sabotage towards Jack.”

“Until now. They just released his ban. He always thought he deserved the gold instead.” Jesse finished. “Anyway, that’s why you see all these vets this year. They’ve all kissed and made up or something,” he shrugged. “Don’t really understand it myself since they’re not competing in the same sport. It’s not like Reyes can even compete in shooting anymore either; he’s here for BMX.”

“I assume you’ve taken his place then,” stated Angela.

“Oh, lord no. Not with Ana competing this year. I’m here for equestrian.” A cowboy riding a horse. Angela thought he couldn’t get more stereotypical than that. “If you ever wanna learn how to ride a horse - “

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Fareeha cut in, annoyance evident. “Like being target practice for someone?”

“Woah there, I get it. I know when a claim’s been staked,” he chuckled, walking away.

Angela gave Fareeha a look that read, _“What is that supposed to mean?”_

“You know Americans,” she replied with a laugh. “They say the strangest things!”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted an Olympics Pharmercy AU so I wrote one. I really liked this week's brawl (Lucioball) because it made me think about how cool futuristic sports would be!


End file.
